Looking into an Angel's Eyes
by YuriFan300
Summary: Yaya's life used to be not good, leaving her cold, reserved and not worth talking to. Until she meets a cute and shy blonde girl that will change her life forever.
1. A Rough Life

**Looking Into an Angel's Eyes**

**Pairing: Yaya x Hikari**

**Genre: Romance/Drama**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Strawberry Panic or any of its characters.**

**Author's Note: Hello! Well, here's another Strawberry Panic story, this time featuring Yaya x Hikari. Yep, I ship them as well as Yaya x Tsubomi. Now, I'm noticing that this pairing's stories have expanded just a wee bit over the years as well, but not as much as Nagisa x Tamao's stories, perhaps. Anyway, I'm writing this one on this pairing because, well . . . I feel the same way as the Nagisa x Tamao pairing. Not that I don't like Amane or anything or maybe I just don't like her all that much, but I really ship Yaya x Hikari. Enough said. Also, this story is kind of similar to "The Rich and the Poor", but a little different. So, please, enjoy the story. ;)**

I hate this. The house, the family, everyone else. But mostly, my life. Why does it have to be this way? I'm not very close to my family at all, and school is just a wreck. That's why I prefer to be alone all the time, so that no one would ever bother me nor try to talk to me. But to be honest, my life didn't start out like this. Though I was an only child and was about 4-years-old, I was once really close to my parents. We had some very good times together. But then . . . my parents passed away from a car accident caused by a drunk driver. I was then raised by my step-parents, who were not as nice as my original parents were. While my step-brother is being really annoying, my step-parents were cruel and vicious to me. They make me do all the chores and work around the house while they just lie around, doing whatever they want. It's been going on for the next 11 years. My life was never the same since my parents passed away. It's not just at home, though. During school, with me not talking to any body, most people consider me stuck up and cold. I didn't want to talk to them because I want to be alone. Having to be with vicious step-parents is bad enough and I don't want others to treat me the same way if I ever talk to them. They might not understand what I'm going through for the past 11 years. So, every night, after I'm done with my chores, I use my time to look at the stars and pray that I want to make one good friend who is always by my side and understanding. But . . . nothing happened each time I did that. So, every day, it was pretty much the same.

One morning, while I'm cooking everyone breakfast, my brother, Kai, just sits impatiently at the kitchen table, tapping the floor repeatedly with his foot.

"When's breakfast gonna be ready?" he says with a hard sigh.

"It's not gonna be done for another five minutes," I reply as I flip the pancake.

"5 minutes is too long!" Kai says.

"Hurry it up, Yaya!" my step-father says. "I have to be at work by 9:00 today!"

"Yes, Father," I say, calmly. The timer rings as soon as the pancake is done. I set it on the plate, put a little syrup on it and serve it on the table. "Here you go, Father. The pancake is ready."

My step-father just sits down and digs in, not even bothering to say "Thank you". Rude. I look around for my step-mother who is just coming down the stairs.

"Yaya," she says, sternly. "Where's the laundry that you were supposed to take out? You know that those had to be sorted before bedtime."

"I'm sorry, Mother," I apologize. "The clothes were taking too long to dry and I have school today."

"That's no excuse," my step-mother says. "That should've taken care of. Do I have to do everything myself?"

"No. I'm very sorry. It won't happen again."

"It better not. Now hurry up with breakfast. The bus is gonna be here in 15 minutes."

15 minutes!? I must have been so tired that I fell asleep a bit before Kai came downstairs. Still feeling fatigued, I still cooked some breakfast. But how will I cook breakfast for everyone, including myself in 15 minutes? Ah, no matter. I'll just make myself some toast while I'm at it. I quickly insert some bread into the toaster while cooking the rest of the pancakes. I serve both of them to Mother and Kai as the toast pops up. I quickly put in some butter, eat it up and is about to leave when Mother calls me.

"Yaya," she says. "You better be home right after school. You got some more chores to do when you get home."

"Yes, Mother," I say. "I'll remember that. I'll see you after school."

"Hey, don't forget my laundry!" Kai blurts out. "You know how smelly it is, right?"

I just sigh inwardly. He's the one who plays soccer, which means that there's bad odor in those clothes, which I really didn't like at all. That's the worst part of doing everyone's laundry. I'm really not looking forward to that when I get home today.

* * *

><p>By the time I arrive at the school, I just casually enter the school with other people whispering gossips at each other.<p>

"Look, isn't that Yaya Nanto?"

"Yep, she is. Though she doesn't talk much, she can be kind of cute."

"Yes, but I heard that she lives with her dreadful step-parents. They can be very mean to her and even have her do everyone's laundry."

"Wow. Is that why she doesn't talk much?"

"Maybe. But she's too stuck up to even tell us. Let's just leave her be for now."

"You're right."

This doesn't happen every day, but whenever there's an opportunity, some of the people would bring up the subject. Usually, I would just ignore them, feeling that it's the same old thing over and over when they talk about me like that. Still, some of the rumors are hurtful. I just keep on walking down the halls and into homeroom. I sit down on my desk and take out my materials for the lesson. While the other students enter the classroom, I just look over at the window and stare at the bright sky. I really hope I would make just one friend. That would totally make my life much happier. But, I'm sure that nothing like that would ever happen.

"Um, excuse me?" a quiet, soft-spoken voice says from my right. "Is this homeroom?"

I turn and look up at a shy girl with long blonde hair and teal colored eyes. _Wow, _I think to myself. _What a cute little angel._ Wait, angel!?

"Miss?" the girl says, snapping me out of my thoughts.

"Oh! Y-yes! Yes it is!" I answer quickly.

The blonde girl sighs in relief. "That's good. For a second, I thought this was the wrong classroom." She takes a seat next to me, pushes some of the strands of her hair behind her ear and gets out her materials for the lesson. I continue to stare at this cute girl while feeling a bit warm on my face.

"Hey," I manage to say. "I never seen you here before."

"Oh, I'm new here," the girl replies with a smile. "So, I guess you could say that this is my first day here."

"Wow. Well, I would like to welcome you, then," I say as I smile a little.

"Thank you," the blonde girl says, giggling. "That's very nice of you to say that."

I can feel myself blush after she said that. No one ever had the courage to even talk to me before, let alone giving out nice compliments. Maybe something good has come up after all! The bell rings as the rest of the students rush in the classroom and take their seats. The teacher comes in shortly after and sets down her stuff on the teacher's desk.

"Good morning, everyone," she says. "Before we begin, I would like to introduce a new student to you all. Would the new student stand up and introduce yourself?"

The blonde girl stands up, walks over to the front of the class and puts a cute smile on her face. "Hello, everyone. My name is Hikari Konohana. It's a pleasure to meet all of you." She bows after that.

I see. So her name is Hikari. What a cute name for an angel. Ah! I did it again! Someone like me shouldn't even be calling her an angel, if that's possible! I don't even know why I'm calling her an angel in the first place!

"Make sure to get alone with Miss Konohana," the teacher says. "She's new here, so please make her feel welcome." She turns to me. "Miss Nanto, would you like to show Miss Konohana around sometime today?"

I gasp and feel myself blush. "Oh! S-sure!" Man, does this day keep getting better and better? Not only Hikari is kind enough to speak to me and sit next to me, but the teacher is offering me to show her around as well!

As Hikari walks back to her seat, she turns to me, smiling. "This is great! I can't wait for you to show me around!" She holds out her hand. "I hope we can get along, Miss Nanto."

I gently smile as I grip her hand. "We will get along. But . . . you can just call me Yaya. Yaya is fine."

"Alright!" Hikari says. "Nice to meet you . . . Yaya-chan!"

I blush again at what she said. I have a really good feeling that the two of us will get along perfectly, considering how kind Hikari is. Maybe life isn't so bad after all once I realized that there are good people in the world. And that good person is Hikari.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Before you say anything, let me say this: even though I like this series, I like to be a little creative and not follow the actual plot. For me, it's a pain trying to recall certain events that happened and put it into the story. But, I'll try and keep the character's personalities the same, so I apologize if Yaya is a little OC. **

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	2. Pain

**Chapter 2**

**Pain**

By the time it's lunch, I feel that it's finally the opportunity to show Hikari around the school for a bit. So, I do that. Hikari looked very happy while I was doing the tour. Though she was very curious about everything, she listened to every word I said when showing her some important places, like student council offices, the department offices if she ever needs extra help on a certain subject and the nurse's office. By the time we're done with the tour, Hikari looked even happier than ever. I guess that not only she enjoyed the tour, but also being with me. I feel the exact same way as her. Both of us go back to the cafeteria since we have a lot of time left and eat lunch together. I usually ate by myself since I was so into being alone, but with Hikari around, I feel very happy.

"Ah, thank you so much for the tour, Yaya-chan," Hikari says. "You were a great tour guide."

"Really?" I say. "Thank you. It was my first time, though."

"But still, you were very detailed and I could understand everything you were telling me," Hikari says. "So, thank you."

I can feel myself blush at this. I can't believe I had met one of the kindest people here at this school. Not to mention she has this angel like aura on her as well. With that in mind, both of us finish our lunches just in time when the bell starts to ring. We stand up to go back to class when Hikari starts to walk the opposite direction.

"Wait," I say. "Where are you going?"

"I have a different class to go to," Hikari replies. "And it's history class."

"Well . . . do you mind if I walk you there? My next class isn't actually too far from where you are."

"Really? Is that okay with you? I don't want you to be late to your own class?"

"It's fine. Don't worry," I say with a smile. I walk beside her after saying that.

Seeing that I'm not lying, Hikari nods while smiling and both of us walk to class together.

* * *

><p>At the end of the day, I sigh happily as I get up from my seat and stretch my arms. For the first time in my life, I didn't want school to end and it's all because of Hikari. I don't know why, but it seems that I didn't want to leave her yet. Not when I had made a new friend for the very first time. As I packed up my stuff and about to leave, Hikari comes over with an eager look on her face.<p>

"Hey, hey!" she says, cheerfully. "Do you want to walk home together? Oh, yeah, I forgot. Where do you live? Maybe my place isn't too far from yours."

As much as I wanted to say yes, I recalled what my step-mother had told me. I had a lot of chores to do when I get home, including doing stupid Kai's clothes.

"No, I'm afraid I can't today," I reply sadly.

"Huh? Why not?"

"I . . . have something important I have to take care of." That wasn't completely a lie, but it was still honest.

Hikari nods. "Okay. I understand." She turns to leave. "Well, I'll see you tomorrow, Yaya-chan! I had a great day with you!" She leaves while laughing happily to herself.

I, however, blush at this wile standing there, watching her running further away from me. No one had ever said that to me before, then again, I never wanted anyone to get close to me in the first place. But now that I made a new friend, I'm so eager to meet her again. Oh, it makes me very happy just thinking about it! However, my happiness stops short when I look at my watch, which is about 5 minutes past the time I'm supposed to leave and get home. With that, I rush out of the school and into the bus.

However by the time I get home, I find my mother looking at me angrily.

"What did I tell you about being home on time?" she says, coldly.

I could feel a chill running down my spine. "I'm sorry, Mother. Y-you see-"

"You know what? There's no time for excuses," my step-mother says. "You have a lot of work to do. And you still have to cook dinner as well. Now hurry up and get to work!"

"Yes, Mother," I say, calmly.

With that, I quickly go upstairs to change out of my uniform and into a worn out dress. Then, my afternoon chores begin underway. I start off with the laundry since that seems to be the most important thing. It took some time to sort out Kai's clothing since he has a lot more than my parents do. Seriously, how many do they buy him? Every time Kai wants something new, my parents go and spend their money on it. And it seems that Kai has loads and loads of old and new clothes mixed up. So, while leaving a pile of old clothes on one side, I start a pile of new clothes on the other side. I then put in a load inside the washing machine and press the start button. While waiting for the clothes to be washed, I go onto sorting out the dry clothing that I was supposed to do last night. That only took about 15 minutes.

After putting the clothes in their proper place in my parent's room, I try to think of what I should serve for dinner tonight. I look through several cupboards and drawers only to find some ingredients for pasta with meat sauce. I look around some more and all there is are leftovers from a few weeks ago. Do they ever eat the at all? The fridge is getting a little too crowded since it's stacked with leftovers all of a sudden. I let out a sigh.

"Pasta it is," I say to myself.

With that, I took out the materials and the dry pasta and put them on the counter for later so that I won't forget.

It took the rest of the afternoon to finish the rest of the clothing and cook dinner by the time Father gets home from work.

"Welcome back, Father," I try to greet.

"Yeah, whatever," he says as he slumps on the couch. "Anything happen at school?"

"Well actually-"

"You know what, I don't wanna know. I'm too tired."

He must have been out again, having some beer or something. Whenever he has the time, if he has time, he goes out to buy some beer to drink. Even when he had already had some beer, he still wants more when he gets home. And that's exactly what's happening now.

"Yaya," he says as he turns off the TV. "Bring me some beer, will you?"

"Um, y-yes Father," I reply timidly. "Hold on a second. I'm just boiling some water for dinner tonight."

"Yeah, yeah, just do it now, will you?"

"Y-yes, Father."

I lower the heat on the stove a bit as I go to the pantry to look for some fresh bottles of beer. Unfortunately, there were none, as I realized that Father must have taken a bunch of bottles with him in case he needed them. However, seeing that makes something run a chill down my spine. He might be too drunk to even remember taking those bottles. Even Mother drinks beer, too. I don't know about Kai, though. Anyone could say that I come from a drunk family considering how they treat me, and to be honest, if my family owns this much beer in the house, then they are probably right.

"Yaya!" Father shouts. "Where's my beer!?"

"Uh, i-it looks like you don't have-"

"OF COURSE I DO!" he shouts, even louder than before, making me flinch from the horrible sound. "CAN'T YOU SEE IT IN THE DANG PANTRY!?"

"F-father, I-I looked and . . . and . . ."

"I WANT MY BEER NOW!"

"Yeah, babe," Kai says, coming to the kitchen. "Give Daddy some beer."

I glare at him. "Quiet. You aren't even part of this."

"Better hurry," Kai says in a sing song. "Daddy's gonna get mad if you don't get him his beery."

"YAYA!" Just then, as if it is the last straw, Father stomps into the kitchen and glares at me. "WHERE'S MY BEER!?"

"Father," I try to say. "Th-there's no b-beer in the-"

"THERE IS BEER AND I'LL PROVE IT!" He shoves me out of the way and grabs a bottle in the very back. "SEE THIS? WHY DIDN'T YOU LOOK HARDER!?"

"I-"

_SMACK!_

"I SAID WHY DIDN'T YOU LOOK HARDER, YAYA!?"

"I . . . I'm sorry, Father." This is what I feared about what might happen if he doesn't get his beer right away. I knew he's too drunk to even remember, though how did he know about the bottle in the very back? "I-I didn't know the last one was in there."

"THAT'S NO FREAKING EXCUSE!" He strikes me hard in the face again.

I raise my hand to touch the part where he had slapped me, which might have left a mark. Crying in front of him will make things worse, though I could feel tears coming out from my eyes.

"When I ask you to bring me some beer, YOU BRING IT TO ME, YOU GOT IT!?" Father shouts.

"Yes, Father," I reply softly. I need to go to my room and calm down a bit. Dinner can wait.

I walk out of the kitchen, then run upstairs and close my bedroom door. I could still feel a sting on my right cheek from where he had slapped me, so I look at the mirror and notice that my cheek is red as a tomato. Putting some ice on it might help, but I'm too afraid to come back downstairs. This isn't the first time that it happens. Like I said earlier, coming from a family who's always drunk isn't really satisfying. And if Hikari ever found out about this . . . she probably won't be my friend anymore. How silly of me to become friends with her. If she ever asks how my family is, how will I answer it? How can I make her understand what I'm going through? I was so into being friends with her that I didn't think what might happen if Hikari gets to that subject. With a sigh, I look up at the stars. I really wish some people will be more understanding.


	3. Letting it Out

**Chapter 3**

**Letting it Out**

The next morning, I didn't sleep well at all. First off, I had to clean up the dishes since everyone in the family decided to make a mess of it. Then, I didn't get to bed until 1:00 in the morning just to finish washing and sorting out the clothes. Mother wouldn't even let me sleep until everything got done. By the time I got ready for school, I was a complete mess. I didn't have time to do my hair or anything, so I just left the house to get out of this madness. And I still feel some pain on my cheek from yesterday, so I never had the time to put ice on it, too.

By the time I get to school, I walk in the classroom and try not to think about the pain on my cheek. As I sit down on the desk, I notice Hikari already in her seat with her materials out as well.

She turns to me and smiles. "Oh, hi, Yaya-chan! Nice seeing you here!"

"I could say the same for you," I say. "You're here early."

"Oh, yes. Now, I arrive here early just to not be late for school. My family recommended it in case I have some work to turn in or need some help studying for a test."

"That's . . . a really good idea," I say. I had never thought about that before. Though, I never live close to the school, so I always take the bus.

Just then, Hikari leans in closer to me as she furrows her eyebrows. I back away a little.

"W-what are you doing?" I say.

"Oh, my. What happened to your cheek? It's all red and stuff."

I turn away to the right so that she wouldn't see it. "I-it's nothing. Nothing really serious."

"Did you get in a fight with someone? What happened?" Hikari asks.

I ponder around to find an answer, but nothing comes to mind. I still don't know if I can trust her enough for me to tell her the situation I'm in.

"I . . . I don't know. It's . . . probably best if I don't tell you."

Hikari frowns. "Why?"

"Just because . . ." I trail off, not willing to give away the answer. I need more time to think this through before I can fully trust her to listen to what I have to say.

Hikari continues to frown as she returns to her seat. "Okay. I hope everything's alright. I was just curious."

I sigh inwardly. Great job, Yaya. You just made her worry. How stupid I am. I just made a new friend and I'm already hiding things from her. I mean, there's no problem being curious, right? Hikari has the right to be like that. However, I still need to think about telling my story to her before doing anything else. Plus, I need a break from my family for a while, so this might be a perfect chance to ask her where she lives.

"Um, Hikari?"

"Yes?" The blonde turns to me.

"After school, do you mind if . . . I walk home with you? I mean, can I stay at your place today?"

"Sure, but what for?"

"I'll tell you once we get there. It's sort of a private talk. So, you must not tell anyone, okay?"

"Yaya-chan . . ." She looks at me worriedly and then nods in understanding. "Okay. I won't tell a soul."

I smile at her as I turn back to the front. That's a good start. Now, the hard part is gonna come when we get to her house. I just have to be really honest with her and hope she'll understand.

* * *

><p>Throughout the school day, neither Hikari and I talked to each other, mostly because I kept on thinking about how she'll react once I tell her my story. And I don't know about Hikari, but she seemed more and more worried whenever she looks at me. This just makes me feel guilty for making her worried so much, but once we get to her house, we're gonna have our private talk in no time.<p>

Once school ends, Hikari and I exit the school and walk together in silence. I look over at her and I could've sworn that I saw her keep stealing glances at me. I'm sure she's even more worried about this than ever. I just look up at the sky to avoid her gaze.

"Um, Yaya-chan?" Hikari says.

"Hm?"

"When are you gonna tell me what's wrong? It seems like you're hiding something from me."

I stop and turn to her. "No, that's not it."

"Then what is it?" Hikari says, frowning. "You've been quiet all day and I haven't heard a word from you. And you still didn't tell me about your bruised cheek. What is it that you're hiding from me?"

Now this is getting serious. But I don't know if this is the right time. "I . . . Let's keep walking. We're almost there, right?"

"See? You're doing it again!" Hikari says, pointing at me. "We just became friends and you're already hiding things from me." She takes my hands in her own. "Please, Yaya-chan. You can tell me. We promised to not tell anyone else, right? I will understand anything you tell me."

That's when it hit me. I quickly turn my back to her. "No, you won't."

"What?"

"That's the problem! You probably won't understand anything what I'm going through and will not be my friend anymore!"

I feel her hands grab my shoulder. "What do you mean I won't be your friend anymore? What are you trying to say!?"

"It's just . . . my family, Hikari. My original parents died from a car accident by a drunk driver. So, they had me live with step-parents with a step-brother named Kai." I turn my head to her, feeling tears coming out from my eyes. "For 11 years, they had me do all the chores and their laundry while they just sit around, doing whatever they want. My step-parents are very mean and vicious. They will do anything to have me work until I die of exhaustion!"

"Yaya-chan . . ."

"You know, I hate it. I really hate it. My family, my home, but mostly my darn life!" I hug myself as I try very hard not to cry in front of Hikari. "I'm so tired of keeping this all a secret! Just because I'm afraid that they'll laugh at me and won't understand how I'm feeling! Well, to be honest, I felt great telling you this! You're the very first person I've ever told! And you know what? I'm very glad I told you! Because you are my first friend, Hikari! And I want you to understand! If you don't, it's alright. I guess I'm no good to be your friend since I come from a cruel family."

"That's not true!" Hikari suddenly says.

I gasp as I turn to the blonde.

"Yaya-chan, I totally understand how you feel! I'm really sorry you had to go through this tough life," she continues. "And I'm glad you were very honest with me. I wouldn't have known that if you hadn't told me this."

"Hikari . . ." I had never expected her to say this. All this time, I had thought people would never understand, but this girl . . . she totally understood how I felt. That makes me feel really happy.

Just then, Hikari comes over and wraps her arms around me. "You can cry if you want."

"W-what?" I did not understand what she's trying to say.

"I know you want to cry, right? You've been holding it in for a long time and never had to cry. So . . . now's your chance."

"B-but . . ."

"It's okay," Hikari whispers. "Just let it out, Yaya-chan. Let it all out."

My eyes get really watery and a bunch of tears start falling from my eyes. Then, I plunge in her chest and start sobbing for the first time in my life. I had never cried even when my step-parents and brother are being cruel to me. I always remained strong and wanted to show people that I'm not a wimp who always gets picked on by my step-parents.

As Hikari hugs me tighter, this makes me cry even harder. Not only she understood how I felt, but she's offering to comfort me when I'm sad as well. I'm very glad I made such a good friend. My dream has finally come true.

* * *

><p>After a good 15 minutes, I almost calmed down when I pull away from Hikari.<p>

"Feeling better?" she asks with a smile.

"A little bit," I reply. I sniffle as I wipe one tear off my eye. "Thank you for hearing me out, Hikari."

"No problem. And hey, thank you for being honest with me. That's what friends do for each other. They tell each other everything."

I nod. "Yes. That's exactly what friends do."

The blonde hugs me again. "No matter what, Yaya-chan, I'm always going to be with you. To support you, help you whenever you're in trouble, even comfort you if you want a shoulder to cry on. You're my friend, Yaya-chan. I don't ever want to leave you."

I smile as I hug her back. "Thank you, Hikari. I'm glad we're friends now. I'll never leave you either."

Yes, this is the step towards a starting point of our friendship. Nothing could ruin this moment.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ah, friendship. This was going on in my head, so I wrote this all in one day, including the previous chapter! And don't worry! This is really not the end of the story, yet! There are still a lot more ways to go. :) I love writing about this pairing! They are one of my favorite couples from Strawberry Panic!**

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


	4. Invite

**Chapter 4**

**Invite**

"And here we are," Hikari says as we arrive at her house.

I look up to notice that her home is just like any other home around this neighborhood. I thought she would come from a rich family or something, but apparently I was wrong.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Hikari says as she takes my hand. "Let's go. My parents will be happy to see you."

I follow her into the house. Inside, it's still ordinary, nothing new. Both of us take off our shoes as Hikari calls, "Mom, Dad, I'm home!"

I follow her to the living room, where her parents are sitting. The mother and father seem normal as well, though, the mother looks very pretty with her long silver hair. The father looked handsome with short dark brown hair. Though I would've loved to greet them, I'm not really sure if I can trust them yet. However, Hikari lets me walk towards them anyway.

"Oh, who is this, Hikari?" the mother asks.

"Mom, Dad, I would like to meet a new friend of mine," Hikari says, gesturing towards me. "Her name is Yaya Nanto. She's the one who showed me around yesterday."

I bow slowly to them. "Hello. It's very nice to meet you."

As I look up, the one thing I didn't expect is them smiling at me. Wow! I've never . . . seen anyone other than Hikari smile at me before. All I receive from others are some scowls or people ignoring me, mostly coming from my family.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you, too," the mother says gently. "My name is Lia Konohana."

"And I'm Sora Konohana," the father says. "We're very glad that our daughter has brought a friend over."

"Yes!" Hikari says, happily. "Isn't she awesome? It's the first time I've made a real friend!"

First time? Does that mean . . .?

"Well then, why don't you show Miss Nanto around a bit?" Sora says. "I'm sure she'll love it here."

"Of course!" My friend turns to me. "Come on, Yaya-chan! Let's go to my room!"

Taking my hand, we run upstairs up to her room. Inside, the walls seem to be colored light blue. She has a white desk next to her bed, a tall night stand next to her bedroom door and a large mirror probably near the bathroom.

"Do you like it?" Hikari asks.

"I . . . love it," I say. "I feel like I'm in heaven when I'm in here."

Hikari giggles. "What makes you say that?"

"There are some angels hanging on the ceiling and one on our nightstand," I reply, pointing to a big one on the nightstand.

"Oh, those," Hikari says. "Well, as some people say, I'm like an angel from heaven for some reason because of my kind and gentle nature, so my parents decided to buy these to match my true self."

I raise an eyebrow. "Is that really necessary?"

"Well . . . it's not like I don't need them or anything, but I got used to them once they told me how my behavior was around people, including them."

"I see." No wonder I was calling her an "angel" in the first place.

"Now that I think about it, it does feel kind of weird having those plastic figures hanging around in my room all the time," Hikari says while raising her hand to touch one of the figures. "But I love them just the same."

I stare at her as she examines the angel. For some reason, I'm being drawn to her, from the way she looks and how kind she is. This the first time any one's ever invited me to their home. All my step-parents wanted me to do is just come home and work. Well, this time, I'm disobeying their stupid rules and have a break for once. Because when I'm in Hikari's home, it feels very . . . peaceful and quiet.

"Yaya-chan?" Hikari says. "Are you alright?"

I smirk at her. "Yes, I'm fine. Wow, this house really feels like heaven. Are you one of the angels that fell from the sky?"

This makes her blush a little. "Wh-what makes you say that?"

"Oh, the way your room is designed," I say. "Besides, I could join you on your little heavenly journey." I wrap an arm around her and wave my hand up in the air. "See? It's like you're part of the family right now, am I right?"

"Yaya-chan!" Hikari squeaks.

I giggle. "Hehe! I was just having a little fun with you."

The blonde's frown slowly turns to a smile. "Oh, I see. Haha."

After about a few minutes, Hikari proceeds to show me around the house and then both of us help each other with our homework when she was done. The math problems were sort of difficult, especially for Hikari, who is really struggling with a few problems. So I help her out a bit and she finally gets it. We both get it done in about a half-hour and go downstairs to have a talk with her parents. The mother had made us some tea as she serves them to all of us. I sit next to Hikari on the couch while the parents were sitting in separate chairs. There is silence for a few seconds when the mother decides to pop up a question.

"So . . . are you gonna be staying here for long?" she asks.

I hesitate as I think about it for a moment. "Well . . . I'm not so sure."

"What do you mean?" the father asks.

"My family probably . . . needs me for something." Lier! Why would you say that!?

Hikari frowns. "Why leave now? I mean, you were enjoying this place a while ago, right?"

"Yes," the mother says. "We would love to have you stay if you want to."

"Besides, you seem like a very nice person," the father adds. "So . . . can you stay just for a little longer, at least for dinner time?"

I hesitate again. "I . . ." What will my family think when I'm gone? No, there's no way that I will think about this stuff right now. I'm 15 now and it's time for me to make my own decisions.

"Come on, Yaya-chan," Hikari pleads. "Please stay? I mean, you've only been here for an hour, right? Don't you want to get used to this house for a bit?"

"And hey, if you want, we could let you sleepover, too," Lia says, smiling.

I start to smile at them. "Really?"

"Absolutely," Sora says. "Do you want to call your parents to let them know?"

Now that hits me like a ton of bricks. How could they let me stay at someone else's house when all they want is for me to work? And I don't know if I can trust them enough for telling them about my family life yet. They might just kick me out or something for saying that I come from a cruel family or something and I might have the same behavior as they do.

"Miss Nanto?" Sora asks again.

Hikari looks at me worriedly. "Yaya-chan, is something the matter? Why don't you want to call your parents?"

"I . . . my family . . . " I hang my head down as the painful memories of my step-parents come back to me. Tears are starting to force their way out, though I'm trying not to cry in front of two new people whom I just met.

"Miss Nanto, honey," Lia says, gently as she comes over and kneels down at my level. "There's no need to be sad. Does it have to do with your family?"

I could just nod as I sniffle a bit.

"What happened? Did they pass away?"

"It's . . . a lot more than that." I manage to choke out.

"Can you tell us, Miss Nanto?" Sora asks.

I look down at the floor again when I feel a hand on my shoulder. I then notice Hikari giving me a reassuring smile.

"It's okay, Yaya-chan," she says, softly. "You can tell them. They'll understand as much as I did."

I slowly nod at her and look up at the parents.

"Mr. and Mrs. Konohana," I say. "I . . . I come from a family that's full of cruelness and a lot of work My original parents had passed away from a car crash caused by a drunk driver. And for the next 11 years, I had to live with my step parents and step-brother named Kai. For 11 years, they've been really cruel to me. And all I've wanted was to live a happy life for once, but I kept thinking that would never happen." I turn to Hikari and smile. "And then she showed up. She was the one that really changed my life. If it weren't for her, I would never had the strength to even make a good friend."

Lia nods in understanding. "I'm so sorry to hear all this, Miss Nanto."

"Those jerks just don't know how to raise you properly, do they?" Sora agrees.

"Don't worry, honey," Lia says. "From now on, we'll let you come over as many times and long as you want. Okay?"

I brighten as happy tears fall from my eyes. "Y-yes. Thank you so much!"

Sora chuckles. "Hey, we're happy to help. Besides, Hikari would love it if you came over every day and slept over even."

The blonde nods in agreement and quickly hugs me. "Welcome to the family, Yaya-chan!"

"Thank you, Hikari," I say, hugging her back.

After about a few minutes, everyone is done with their tea and Hikari happily takes them.

"Oh, Hikari," Lia says. "Would you like to prepare dinner tonight? And since Miss Nanto is staying tonight, do you want her to sleep in your room?"

"I would love it! Thanks, Mom!" Hikari says, happily.

I smile as well as she skips to the kitchen. Sora chuckles again.

"Wow, it's been so long since I've seen her smile like this," he says.

I raise an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story," Lia says, glancing at the ground. "But since she became friends with you, I have never seen her this happy before. I guess that she's kind of the same as you."

I look over at Hikari, who is humming happily while washing the dishes. So . . . that means that she had trouble making friends before she even met me?

"Anyway, we're very glad that you're staying over for the night," Lia says, smiling at me. "We really needed some company."

"And hey, you're a very nice person to be around, unlike those jerks over at your home," Sora adds. "So, there's no way you're like them. You became friends with our beloved daughter and had been very nice to her since she attended this school. So we would like to thank you for that."

"Oh, it's no problem at all!" I say as I bow to them respectfully. "I would like to thank you for letting me stay at this house!"

"Well then, since we're all in such a good mood, do you want to help out with dinner for a bit and have Hikari help you prepare your bed for tonight?" Lia asks.

"Oh, yes!" I reply with a smile, a smile that can never change my mood. Being at the Konohana's really does sooth me and it's a really good feeling!

* * *

><p>For the rest of the afternoon, just as they promised, Mr. and Mrs. Konohana let me stay over for dinner and had some delicious ramen and rice. I help out Hikari for a bit on the noodles and vegetables while Hikari did the rest. We had a lot of fun eating and talking at the same time. I never, ever had things like this at my home. Like I said before, at this house, it's a really good feeling, peaceful and quiet. And after dinner, I even helped Hikari out with the dishes and stuff, since I have experience before.<p>

And now, both of us are getting ready for bed at her room. Hikari had already prepared a sleeping bag for me next to her bed. Once Hikari turns out the light, she slowly climbs into bed when I speak up.

"Hikari," I whisper.

"Yes, Yaya-chan?" she whispers back.

"Thank you . . . for giving me this opportunity to stay at your home. No, I can't thank you enough how much it means to me for inviting me over to a house that's so . . . soothing and peaceful."

The blonde just giggles. "I'm so glad you like it here. It seemed like it the moment I took you to my house. You like this better than your home it seems, right?"

"Yes. So, thanks again."

"No problem." Hikari climbs into bed and pulls in the covers.

However, I have a hard time sleeping for a moment and look over at Hikari. Maybe it's not right for me to do this, but maybe Hikari wouldn't mind. So, I slowly get up from my sleeping bag and start snuggling next to Hikari.

"Ah, Y-Yaya-chan!" she whispers loudly. "What are you doing here?"

I just smile and put my arm around her. "I just . . . want to be more comfortable" I close my eyes and slowly drift off to sleep, but not before I feel her stroking my hair and whispering, "Thank you . . . Yaya-chan. You're a great friend."

And so . . . as the night goes by, both of us have a very good night's sleep and not even a spark of memory of my step-parents appear in my head. Because an angel is protecting me and that's Hikari. My beautiful little angel who is sleeping right next to me.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry for taking so long to update. But here's chapter 4 for you guys! Hooray! I know how you're so eager to see how Hikari's parents are, so I decided to put it in there . . . with a little help of course. **

**Feel free to give out any suggestions, questions or concerns and don't forget to review! ;)**


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